Carlo Ancelotti, the 64-year-old coach of Real Madrid, addressed speculation about his potential move to the Brazilian national team on Thursday.
He emphasized that his current focus is on Real Madrid and their upcoming season.
“I will never talk about Brazil, about what is going to happen,” the Italian told reporters in Los Angeles, where Real Madrid will play the first of four US friendlies on Sunday against AC Milan at the Rose Bowl.
“I am the manager of Real Madrid and I will remain here,” Ancelotti firmly stated, contradicting Brazilian Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues’ previous suggestion that Ancelotti would become the first foreign coach of the Selecao in nearly 60 years once his Real Madrid contract ends.
This would have meant Ancelotti taking charge in time for the Copa America in the United States in June 2024. However, Ancelotti declared that he no longer wished to discuss the matter.
“I will never talk about this matter again,” he said, noting that he had a contract with Real Madrid “until June 30, 2024”.
Ancelotti chose not to provide any remarks regarding Madrid’s prospects of acquiring the 24-year-old French sensation, Kylian Mbappe, who is currently embroiled in a contractual disagreement with Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe “is a player who is not at Madrid,” he noted. “To talk about players who are not here, it doesn’t seem right to me.”
Ancelotti talked about his strategies for managing the departure of Karim Benzema, who recently signed with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. He mentioned that he would try out a system that maximizes the attacking abilities of new signings like Jude Bellingham from England and Arda Guler from Turkey. While a top-tier replacement for Benzema hasn’t been acquired yet, Ancelotti expressed contentment with the Real Madrid squad’s cohesion for the upcoming season.
“For me, the squad has improved,” he said. “We have lost a player who has been fundamental for years in Karim, whom we wish the best and who has been a club legend. But we have a very young group that we are convinced will give us a lot of satisfaction,” he said.
Following the press conference, Ancelotti conducted the initial training session at the University of California in Los Angeles, where a large number of fans gathered to greet the team.
On July 26th, the team will journey to Texas to compete against Manchester United in Houston, followed by a Clasico match against Barcelona in Dallas on July 29th. Prior to returning to Spain, Madrid will confront Juventus in Orlando, Florida, on August 2nd.
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